signature scents

'Smell this'

My brother places his wrist under my nose, I inhale the scent and sigh:

'Woah, what is that?'

'Issey Miyake'

'Amazing'

One eye on the busy road, he starts telling me his thoughts on scents and perfumes in general. I can't remember the entire verbatim since keeps you on guard against his reckless way of driving. Anyhow, this what really stuck in my mind.

'Smells can really change your entire day. You might wake up feel so shitty and depressed, you spray yourself with a scent lingering and classy: voila! Your whole day's been changed into something more optimistic. Sometimes you've had a long day, exams keep you down and you just want to unwind: just SHOWER. You can get amazingly fragranced shower gels and they completely rejuvenate your mood, it's brilliant.

Some smells remind me of stuff, it's the classy, lingering smells which really make you realise how you associate smells with people and moments in your life. When other people smell this [Issey Miyake], they always remember me coz it's like having a signature smell and you'll always be remembered with that certain perfume. '

I just thought about what he said and thought I'd put it onto the interwebz- d'you agree with this? Is there a certain smell which reminds you of someone or a special place? And what's your take on signature smells, do you have one?

My all-time favourite is Nina Ricci, a friend gave it to me as a gift and it's lasted me for over a year. It's so beautifully packaged and the fragrance lingers leaving a really lasting impression on others, I've had mates say they remember me when they catch a whiff of it in passing.